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The Painted Hills
Lassie the Painted Hills poster.jpg
Original theatrical poster
Directed by Harold F. Kress
Produced by Kenneth Bennett
Chester M. Franklin
Screenplay by True Boardman
Story by Alexander Hull
Starring Pal (credited as "Lassie")
Paul Kelly
Bruce Cowling
Gary Gray
Music by Daniele Amfitheatrof
Cinematography Alfred Gilks
Harold Lipstein
Editing by Newell P. Kimlin
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) April 26, 1951 (1951-04-26)
Running time 68 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $667,000
Money made $1,085,000

The Painted Hills, also known as Lassie's Adventures in the Goldrush, is an exciting movie from 1951. It was made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by Harold F. Kress.

The film is based on a book called Shep of the Painted Hills by Alexander Hull. It stars a famous dog actor named Pal, who played "Lassie". Lassie plays a brave dog named Shep. The story is about Shep trying to get justice after something bad happens to her owner.

This movie was the seventh and last Lassie film made by MGM.

About the Movie's Story

What Happens in the Film?

The movie tells the story of a gold prospector named Jonathan Harvey (Paul Kelly). He has a loyal dog named Shep. Jonathan also looks after the family of his old partner, Martha Blake (Ann Doran) and her son Tommy (Gary Gray).

After many years of searching in the California hills, Jonathan finally finds gold! But before he can share his discovery, his greedy partner, Lin Taylor (Bruce Cowling), tragically harms Jonathan and tries to steal the gold. Lin also makes Shep very sick, and Shep almost dies. He also tries to hurt Tommy.

Luckily, Shep gets better and leads Lin into the mountains. Lin falls off a cliff and is not seen again. Shep saves the day and makes sure justice is served.

Who Are the Main Characters?

Here are some of the main actors and the characters they play:

  • Pal (known as "Lassie") as Shep – The brave hero dog.
  • Paul Kelly as Jonathan Harvey – The kind gold prospector.
  • Bruce Cowling as Lin Taylor – The greedy partner.
  • Gary Gray as Tommy Blake – The young boy.
  • Ann Doran as Martha Blake – Tommy's mom.
  • Art Smith as Pilot Pete – A friendly parson.
  • Chief Yowlachie as Bald Eagle – An Indian vet.

The Movie's Music

The music for The Painted Hills was created by Daniele Amfitheatrof. In 2010, all the music from the seven Lassie movies was released as a special CD collection.

Free to Watch!

This movie is now in the public domain. This means that its copyright has ended. Because of this, anyone can now watch and share the film freely. You can find it on VHS and DVD from many different companies.

Fun Fact

The movie was featured and made fun of on the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (episode 510).

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